Springer Damsel

Springer's Damselfish (Chrysiptera springeri), commonly known in the aquarium trade as the Springer Damselfish or Springer's Demoiselle: 1. Appearance & Coloration Coloration: They feature a striking, deep midnight-blue or black body richly accented by electric neon-blue speckles and bright blue striping along the face, fins, and body. Size: They grow to a compact adult size of about 2 to 2.5 inches (5 to 6 cm). 2. Native Origin & Habitat Geography: They are native to the Western Pacific Ocean, including Indonesia, the Philippines, the Solomon Islands, and the Great Barrier Reef. Environment: Found in shallow, protected reef flats, lagoons, and coral-rich rubble zones where they can dart in and out of branching corals for cover. 3. Tank Requirements Minimum Tank Size: Requires an aquarium of at least 30 gallons to provide adequate space for swimming and territory establishment. Water Parameters: Temperature: 72°F – 78°F (22°C – 26°C) Salinity (Specific Gravity): 1.020 – 1.025 pH: 8.1 – 8.4 Alkalinity: 8 – 12 dKH Aquascaping: Provide plenty of live rock with caves, crevices, and branching structures to create visual barriers, which helps them feel secure and manages territory. 4. Diet & Feeding Natural Diet: Plankton, microalgae, and small benthic crustaceans picked from the reef framework. Captive Diet: Extremely hearty and unpretentious eaters. They readily accept a varied omnivorous diet consisting of high-quality marine flakes, pellets, and frozen meaty foods like mysis shrimp, brine shrimp, and cyclops. 5. Reef Compatibility Status: Reef Safe Behavior: Completely safe with corals, anemones, and sessile invertebrates. They will not nip at stony or soft corals. 6. Temperament & Tank Mates Temperament: Widely regarded as one of the most peaceful damselfish species available, making them far less aggressive than cousins like the Blue Sapphire Damselfish. However, they can still display mild territoriality toward similar-looking fish or conspecifics in smaller tanks. Compatibility: Excellent community fish for systems with plenty of hiding spaces. They get along well with peaceful to semi-aggressive tank mates such as fairy wrasses, gobies, blennies, and small tangs. Avoid housing them with overly timid, slow-moving micro-fish that might be intimidated by their activity level.